Jocelyn's Health Update (and more) 03-10

posted March 10th, 2015, 8:17 am

author comments

March 10th, 2015, 8:22 am

Little personal update, because I wanted to make sure I didn't leave you guys in the dark this time.

It's been a little over two weeks since the surgery. My condition has definitely been improving everyday. And as I think I've said before, I feel a lot better than two weeks after my last surgery (the surgeon's skill goes a long way, it seems). There are even some parts of the scar that have completely closed up already.

But despite recovery going notably well though, I still think I've got a ways to go. I try to make a habit of doing a small drawing session every couple of days. It's not easy to hold my position, but it - I think more than anything - really demonstrates my improving health by how I can sit there a little longer every time. Writing's a bit easier since I can drag my laptop wherever and prop it up in whatever way works. And I'm writing a lot. Not so much anything I can post unfortunately, but a couple days ago I finally completed the script for a much later chapter in Rain that'd been giving me trouble for a while (and honestly, I'm really, really happy with it). Now, I'm about twelve chapters ahead of the current posting, and eager to get the story moving along again. But I'm not ready to draw consistently, so I'll just keep writing, I guess. One of my resolutions for this year was to try and finish the entire script for Rain. While I've still got lots of work to do to make that happen, I feel like this recovery has giving me a lot of headway on that.

When I don't feel like working, my wife and I have been watching lots of movies via Redbox (slowly but surely, we're catching up on all the Oscar movies). Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood, and Whiplash were all excellent. Foxcatcher was - in my opinion - well acted, but otherwise incredibly dull and just made me feel uncomfortable. I also saw Pride, which while I don't think it was an Oscar movie, I thought it was a lot of fun.

I've also started replaying Pokemon Platinum. 4th gen was always kinda one of my lesser favorites Pokemon installments, but I picked it because I think it's been the longest amount of time since I played this one. Following my Omega Ruby setup, I'm opting to once again only use Pokemon I've never used before, and I have to admit, it does again feel fresh so far.

It seems a little odd that I'm replaying things, as I do have plenty on my shelf that I haven't touched yet. But a lot of them include platformers and action games. In my condition, I'm concerned about hurting myself if I get animated from sucking at it or something though (maybe I'm overthinking things, but it just seems wise for me to stick with RPGs and slower-paced games). I considered Dragon Age Inquisition too, which has been on my shelf since Christmas. But I cannot read the text in that game from my couch to save my life (am I the only one that's this blind?). In better health, I could happily sit closer to the TV, but as I am, it's too uncomfortable to play right now. It'll have to wait until I feel better, I suppose.

As you can see, there's not a lot to report, but I hope this has been at least a little interesting. Thank you again for your patience. Much love, Rain Beaus! <3

March 10th, 2015, 12:59 pm

March 11th, 2015, 12:25 am

If you're looking for ways to make your Pokemon playthroughs feel more fresh, you should try the Nuzlocke challenge. It has two basic rules: You can only capture the first Pokemon you see in any zone, and you must release any Pokemon who faints in battle. Makes the games much more challenging and, somehow, helps build an emotional bond with your Pokemon.

March 11th, 2015, 1:30 pm

I'm glad you're recovering well. I've been kind of quietly observing, because I'm not a regular commenter at all, and this is one of my favorite comics, so making sure you're okay has been on my mind.

I do have to agree with you that the DA:I text is so damn small. I frequently have to lean forward from my seat just to read text (my husband is playing, and I couch-side guide/watch). I'm not sure if there's a way to bump up the text size, though.

March 12th, 2015, 2:45 pm

I just wrote something on Facebook that sums up how I feel about genderfluid in a really poetic way. And I totally wasn't even trying either; I just got lucky! Here it is:

The fluid bit is the important part of genderfluid. If you think of it as an allegory of a physical fluid then imagine a gender that is constantly moving, mixing, sliding about. Put a prop of food colloring in a bowl of water and watch as it spreads to fill the space. That is the limit of your gender and you can be anywhere in that moving and mixing colored blob at any time. The binary folks have a divider in thier bowl, and trans people are stuck on the wrong side of the divider. A genderfluid person has no limits and can potentially understand both genders as well as anyone possibly can, that is why native cultures praised them as peacemakers called twin-spirits. The drawback is that your body will constanly feel wrong to you and you can never go through transition like a binary trans person can. Plus the people you interact with everyday will have even less of an idea of your gender at that moment than you will which might cause embarrasment or even offense if the wrong thing is done or said. I love my gender freedom but hate the constraints of my body and society.

I hope this helps people to understand genderfluid people like me and Ky.